Space Cowboy
by Glitterfrost
Summary: Buzz Lightyear is on mission to catch a redheaded outlaw. What he doesn't realize is the adventure he'll get caught up in along the way. Darkness, betrayal, and an ancient curse...what could possibly go wrong?
1. Caught

This was inspired and goes along with YoukaiYume's brilliant piece of work, Turf, found on Deviantart. :)

Enjoy!

* * *

It's dark.

It usually is here, or so he's been told. Even at high noon, this place feels abandoned and empty. It's also very, very frigid. Normally it would be warmer at night—even in the desert—but there's a strangeness here. His helmet is down, although it probably shouldn't be, and for once he wishes his suit didn't glow in the dark. She'll see him coming, that way. She'll be prepared. It makes this mission much harder.

His boots make no sound as they creep along the packed earth. He hears a noise and flattens himself against the wooden wall—but no, it's merely a flyaway tumbleweed, illuminated by the dim light above the entrance to the ghost town. He realizes how late it is, how long he's been here. He needs to finish this now.

He flips open his control panel, making as little noise as possible.

"Star Command," He says, as quietly as he can muster, "The atmosphere is breathable. The location is identified, but target is not in sight. There seems to be no signs of intelligent life anywhere—"

He is cut off by the sounds of boots impacting the earth behind him. He spins, only so be forced in the other direction. He tries to react, but she's so fast—she's already got his arms bound and useless. She spins him, binding him tighter, until she tugs on the rope and he is captive. He is disoriented and dizzy for a moment, before his vision clears. He can see her silhouette, slim and tall, before she steps into the light above her head and the glow of his spacesuit. She is stunningly beautiful, with bright green eyes that are even discernible in the poor light, fiery hair, dark clothing, and a long coat and hat. She smiles at him. Tugs on the rope. Says ever so quietly,

"Sorry, space cowboy. But you're on my turf now."


	2. Questions

Lookit! Chapter 2! okay, I lied about it being completed. :)

* * *

It's been a while. He isn't sure how long, really. If things were normal here, he'd be tempted to think that it would start to get lighter outside, but it doesn't. It's just as eerily dark as it was when he first arrived, however long ago that was now. Nothing here displayed any signs of wear, of any time passing. The sky is dark, unchanging. It is starless and yet there are no clouds.

The unnamed female outlaw tugs on the rope binding him, making him stumble slightly. He catches her slight mocking grin. His determination hardens.

They have entered the ghost town, but there are no lights inside. His spacesuit is the only source of light he can see. She travels directly down the center of the main street, as if she has no fear of being caught. Then again, she doesn't, Buzz reflects. She's the one in charge here.

There is no wind. The derelict buildings—or are they really derelict?—are silent. No paint on doors is peeling; no boards on the sidings are out of place. It is perfect, and therefore it makes Buzz more uneasy.

The pretty outlaw suddenly turns a sharp corner into a side street. It is very tight here, and rather uncomfortable in his spacesuit. She forces him along, but only for another few seconds or so—they reach her destination, with the sudden opening of a door on Buzz's left. The handle nor the hinges squeak as it opens. She goes inside before Buzz, dragging him behind her. The door behind them shuts, seemingly automatically. Buzz can only tell from the way the light of his spacesuit falls on the surrounding walls and the shadows they create.

She moves forward, through this room to another hallway. She pulls Buzz down this one until she reaches the third door on the left. She does not knock, nor does she seem to need to. The door silently swings open on its own. The outlaw parades forth with Buzz following behind.

A light flicks on in the corner of the room. Buzz is grateful for the change of lighting. His eyes hurt less from squinting.

The light is a desk lamp. The desk lamp lays on a desk, at which sits a man, with his lanky legs atop the desk. He wears cowboy boots, clothing as dark as the pretty outlaw's, and he has a hat atop his head. A whip sits coiled tensely on the desk beside him. Buzz gets the feeling that it is used often and joyfully.

The man at the desk is smoking a cigarette, and the smoke blooms upward; although with no air movement, Buzz cannot see how this is possible. He lifts a hand and motions to her. His captor steps forward.

"Now, now, Jessie," drawls the lanky cowboy, "I send for you to dispose of an invading creature and you bring it back home? This is so similar to my lovely's homecoming. Must you have a fondness for strays?"

There is movement behind him, and a graceful and pretty creature emerges from behind the cowboy. She is very pale, blonde and blue-eyed, and she is dressed all in red. Her clothing is rich and extravagant. The cowboy takes one of her delicate hands. He glances up at her.

"My lovely," he murmurs, kissing her hand. His attention returns to the space ranger and other outlaw.

"We need to know why he's come," The pretty captor—Jessie, was it?—explains in a soft but deadly voice. "He was alone but communicating with others. He is dressed so strangely." She eyes his arm. "With weapons."

The cowboy's eyebrow rises. "So was my lovely, and she is no harm. Why not dispose of him, so I can attend to other matters?"

"Woody, he is a possible threat. I won't jeopardize our safety by letting him roam."

"I _said_, dispose of him. He knows too much already by being here. You cannot let him _free_. Either dispose of him or put him in the cells, and I'll do it later." He pats his gun holster.

Pretty Jessie nods in a submissive way. "Yes, Woody."

She turns, but Woody interrupts her exit.

"You, there. Prisoner. What are you called?"

Buzz does not answer him. He is sworn to the Galactic Alliance to die before betrayal of any information. He hopes the cowboy cannot read the nametag on his breast.

Woody stands. He is very tall and thin, but obviously very powerful. The girl in red sits at his desk in his absence. Woody strides forward. Yanks Buzz's chin upward in one fast and painful movement. Hard brown eyes meet icy blue ones. Both expressions are determined.

"No?" Says Woody softly, "No talking? Well. Let's try another question. Why are you here?"

Nothing. Woody leans closer.

"Where do you come from?" He says in a menacing whisper.

Buzz does not respond. Woody swings his fist back and knocks it against Buzz's jaw. Buzz is in shock, mostly because he didn't see it coming. First the roping, now this—how was it that these outlaws were so fast?

Woody seems satisfied for the moment. "Get any information out of him you can, Jessie. If you've got nothing—well, leave him to me in a few hours time. Don't kill him yet, if you were planning to."

Jessie has a small smile on her face as she once again nods. "Come on, stranger."

Buzz follows her out of the room into the dark hallway. His body is beginning to hurt from being bound so long. She travels quickly, yet silently, dragging his ungraceful self behind her. They reach a staircase and it's down, down, down—then she unexpectedly stops and cuts into another dark hallway. This one is different, though—wider, and it sounds more hollow. She stops. Turns to Buzz.

"Now, space cowboy—mind tellin' me what you're doin' here?"

Buzz gives her the same response as he did Woody. Jessie sighs. Walks closer to him. Inspects him.

"Such a handsome man. Shame later on that it won't matter. You won't be alive anymore."

She traces an enchanting finger down his jaw. Her touch burns his skin. She smiles slightly.

"Sweetheart, I'd prefer you not to die, since I've always found it an often unnecessary and gruesome business. Now, what's your name?"

Nothing. She smiles even sweeter. Gets even closer. Breathes on him. She's magical to him.

Jessie has a strong hold on the rope, and Buzz can't escape. But he suddenly doesn't want to. She kisses his nose.

"Where are you from?"

Buzz doesn't respond; he's frozen.

"No? Well…" His cheek, now. "How many of there are you?"

He's so tempted. He mustn't, he can't allow himself…

"What's your name?"

And suddenly she's kissing him, and he's not fighting it. He kisses her with as much enthusiasm and she is him. The kiss is passionate, desperate on his end and lustful on hers. It deepens, and she slides her tongue across his lips and _oh_, his mouth opens and the sensations he feels increases with sudden sparks of electricity. He can feel his wings straining underneath his bonds, unable to break free. She fills his senses, utterly captivating, and when she breaks from him he can barely breathe. But he does manage to say two words—

"Buzz Lightyear."


	3. Memories

You're lucky today, guys. :P Two chapters! I had a blast writing this. Don't worry, there's much more to come!

* * *

The outlaw smiles at him. With a sense of dawning horror, he slowly realizes what he's done.

"Now, darlin', that wasn't so hard, was it?" Her hand is on his cheek. He tries to keep his expression emotionless—after all, with all he's done tonight, he ought to do _something_ right—but he finds himself failing, with the guilt of betraying the Alliance and the want he still feels for _her_. Her nose is nearly touching his, now. She whispers again.

"Anythin' else you'd like to tell me?"

He's clenching his teeth, attempting to resist. He's furious with her and with himself.

"No?" She cocks her head, as though he is an extremely intriguing art piece. He vows to stay silent.

"Okay, sweetheart."

He blinks and finds himself inside a jail cell. How did that happen? He'd only been outside a moment before. Now he realizes why this hallway was wider, and sounded hollow. It was full of jail cells. That didn't explain how fast she moved, though. He couldn't fight back if he tried, because he could never tell what was coming up next.

Before he's fully comprehended where he is, she's got him again, chaining him to the wall with cuffs and chains he's neglected to notice before. When she deems him secure, which seems to him only a second and a half later, both his legs and arms are secured to the wall in a manner he considers undignified. Regardless, he's certainly stuck—he can't possibly reach his laser now and his limbs are cuffed so tightly he can barely attempt to twist them at all. Jessie grins at him in satisfaction.

"Okay, space cowboy. You've got time down here to think. I'd suggest considering surrender, because really, it'd be such a shame to have you killed. Don't bother trying to escape—it won't work. You have no idea where you are or how to get where you started. You should think about cooperating—maybe, if you're good enough, you could join us. We're not that bad, really. I mean, we only try to mind our own business. Anyway, consider this a generous offer. Most never qualify in the least, _Buzz Lightyear_."

Buzz winces at the pointed use of his name. Jessie smiles once again, slams the prison bars shut, and saunters away. At least, he assumes she is—he can't hear her at all. And she's right, he realizes. He'll never find his way out of here, even if he manages to get out of the cell. Buzz's expression hardens. It might be useless, but he's going to try.

He lifts his head and looks upward. Then downward. Then side to side. All stone. He's chained to the back wall, probably ten feet from the iron bars. He groans in frustration. This was going to be nearly impossible.

* * *

Jessie purposefully strides up to the ground level of the building. Woody would want news, and she didn't want to delay him. Especially when there could be more of those invaders. Although, she thinks wickedly, if they were as handsome as this Buzz Lightyear, she certainly wouldn't mind them invading her space.

Her ascent is much faster when she's not dragging an unwilling prisoner behind her. She's back upstairs in one minute.

"Woody," She says, after the door has automatically opened for her, "He's got a name."

Woody looks up from the papers he's reading. He sees her expression and perks up slightly himself.

"Well, sit down, then, Jessie! C'mon, come here and talk." He motions to the chair across from the desk. Bo sits on Woody's left, looking mildly interested. Jessie plops down.

"His name is Buzz Lightyear. It actually said 'Lightyear' on a label on his breastplate. I thought _you _would've caught that," She says, rather smugly in Woody's direction. He scowls.

"I must be losing my touch. But we haven't had invaders for a while." He absentmindedly strokes Bo's hand while he thinks. Jessie continues.

"Also, on his spacesuit thing—there was another label that said 'Space Ranger'. I don't know what it means, and I don't know if _you_ know what it means, but it's a start, at least."

"True," Says Woody thoughtfully, "I don't know. Hmm. Say, Jess, how'd you get him to talk?"

"Umm…using my charms, let's say," Jessie smiles slightly, turning the faintest pink. Woody raises an amused eyebrow.

"Okay," He says, but doesn't ask questions, "And you're _sure_ he's secure down there?"

"Positive," Jessie nods confidently, "There is no way he's getting out of there."

"Good." Woody's satisfied for the moment. He stands and stretches, and kisses Bo's delicate fingers. He smiles at her. "Bo, my lovely, continue checking those records. See if there's anything relating to what's just been discussed."

Bo nods. "Of course, Woody."

He smiles at her once more before passing Jessie and leading them both outside. It's cold in the alleyway—but when is it not?—and, of course, completely dark. Woody looks skyward. He wonders if it will ever be light again. He misses the New Mexico sun.

"Woody?" Jessie is slightly concerned, "What is it?"

Woody shakes his head.

"I miss the sun," He admits quietly, "And the heat. Everything that makes this place worth it…it seems to be gone now."

Jessie places a hand on his shoulder. "We're going to fix this. It won't last. You remember what it was like here before. We're gonna make it that way again." She forces him to look at her. "We're outlaws for a reason, Woody. The profit we get from this lifestyle is so much greater then being law-abiding citizens. And we _need_ that profit. You know that."

Woody nods, sighing. Sometimes he misses being a law enforcer instead of a lawbreaker. Jessie's right, of course. They need the money desperately. But still. The glory days…

Jessie wakes him from his recollections with an anxious question. "Do you think we could ever go back to that life?"

Woody ponders it for a moment. "I dunno, Jess. Maybe." He straightens up. "Anyway. I was going to have us go to Westfield and see what we could find there tomorrow morning, but plans have changed. There's more then one of his kind," Woody says wearily, glancing towards the jailhouse, "And chances are, they're gonna be looking for him. We're gonna have to halt Westfield for the moment. I'll stand outpost on the town gates, and I want you inside with Bo. Check on the prisoner every once in a while; see if you can get any more information out of him. I'm taking Bullseye, he should be helpful in spotting intruders."

Jessie nods. "What's the time?"

"Last time I checked, it was about three PM. I should be back by nine. Keep the prisoner alive and in good health. He might be worth…_quite_ a ransom."

* * *

I love writing this. It's so much fun. :D Review!


	4. Answers, Sort Of

8D. Also, I reference Buzz Lightyear of Star Command slightly, with Mira's name. If you don't know who she is, no big deal. At all. Just thought I'd mention it.

* * *

Buzz has kicked his way to Timbuktu and then some, but no progress has been made in his escape. He wills his wings to open—his suit is automatically in tune with his nervous system and brain—but even as they try, it causes his neck to be forced back as his chest is thrust forward to make room for his hulky wingspan. His brain registers this as a possible threat to its oxygen supply and tells the wings to retract. They do. Buzz gasps for breath; that had been a very bad idea. He's tried shouting, kicking, possibly winging his way out and trying to force his laser to work with his brain. The laser, however, is one of the only things on his suit that doesn't respond to brain commands. He knows this, and mentally curses Star Command. Couldn't their regulation suits be a little more useful where it counted? He imagines the look on Mira's face if she ever finds out about this. It makes the situation worse.

Buzz futilely continues to attempt an escape. He stops when he notices someone watching him from the other side of the cell.

To say that he jumped would be an understatement. To say that he shrieked girlishly would also be an understatement. And to say that Jessie laughed for five minutes straight would be another understatement.

When she finally calms her laughter, she looks at Buzz, who she notes is glaring at her quite fiercely. She bites her lip, trying not to burst into another fit of giggles. She leans against the bars of the cell.

"Hey ya, Buzz. How you holdin' up?"

He continues to glare at her. She sighs.

"Must you be so difficult? Bo wasn't nearly this stubborn."

Buzz narrows his eyes. He doesn't know who this 'Bo' is, only that he isn't the first to be taken prisoner. He wonders how many more there will be, if these outlaws weren't stopped quickly and efficiently.

"Hmmm," Jessie murmurs, "I wonder how many more of you there are. How many we could stop. I wonder how you got here. The 'why' is easy enough, we're lawbreakers who live in a creepy place, but…still. Wouldn't you have more important things to worry about then _us_?"

She isn't intimidating to Buzz; she merely seems curious. Buzz debates answering. He feels like he can trust this girl, even though it's against his better judgment.

She's quiet for a while. He doesn't know the time, or how long he's been here. But his needs are starting to get to him—he can feel his hunger increasing, as well as the urge to urinate.

He doesn't mention either of these things. He doesn't want to display weakness in front of her, or at least, any more then he already has. She looks up at him eventually.

"You've been here for a while. Don't ya _need_ anything?"

Buzz decides to answer this time.

"I'm not eating any of your _food_. You could be trying to poison me!"

Jessie rolls her eyes.

"We're keeping you alive for a reason, space ranger. Poisoning you would be counterproductive."

She leaves. Buzz is reeling. She knows my occupation! How…?

The outlaw returns a moment later, with a lot of mouthwatering and odd-smelling things. Buzz has dehydrated food in his space pack, but he doesn't like to eat it. He also trusts this girl enough to eat what's being offered to him. Food that hasn't been modified and dried and stuffed into containers until it no longer resembles the original foodstuff in appearance or taste. Buzz finds this refreshing.

"What is it?" He asks. Jessie rolls her eyes again.

"Coffee, beans, potato bead, and some really delicious steak that was a brilliant find on one of our…um, travels." She falters for a moment. Buzz clears his throat.

"Um, could you unchain me?" Jessie's head snaps up.

"What? Oh! Yeah. Uh, not _all_ the way…y'know." She gestures to the cell.

Buzz nods. "Yeah, I get it."

Jessie sets the food down outside of the cell. She then unlocks the cell door and goes over to Buzz. She's only a few inches from him when she stops.

"You gotta promise to not hurt me, okay? I mean, even if you did, you'd never be able to find your way out. You need me to get out of here." Her gaze is fierce.

Buzz is captivated by her once again. He feels no urge to hurt this pretty, amazing girl.

"I won't hurt you," He says, his voice deepening unexpectedly, "I promise you that."

Jessie nods and uncuffs both of his hands and one of his feet. He's now able to move around within five feet of the stone walls. Jessie leaves the cell for a moment and goes to the hallway. Buzz can see her silhouette through the prison bars. She comes back and sets the plate in front of him. The food looks odd to him.

"Buzz." Jessie's amused. "Just eat it."

He does so, and is surprised to find that it really isn't all that bad. Jessie plops down next to him.

"How did you know I was a space ranger?" He asks her after the first bite. She shrugs.

"Said it on your suit." Buzz pauses for a moment, glances down, and realizes that this is the case. Oh.

"Can I ask _you_ a question?" Jessie sounds playful, but he knows the question carries more weight then she's letting on.

"It depends," He responds, after a moment. She considers what to ask.

"Why us?" Buzz decides to filter his answer.

"We feel that your presence is a threat to keeping the peace. I was sent here to question _you_…and incidentally, take _you_ prisoner."

Jessie smiles slightly. "Oh, the irony."

"Indeed." He agrees. "I know I'm on a planet called Earth. I know the atmosphere is breathable to my people and I know that _you_ were causing quite a disturbance."

Jessie shrugs. "We weren't trying to."

They're quiet for a moment. Buzz continues to eat. Jessie opens her mouth and closes it again. Her brow furrows.

"I was wondering…we're awfully isolated. How'd you find us?"

"It was pretty easy, actually. There's some serious activity taking place above our heads. A lot of electrical activity. It looks wrong for this planet. Suspicious, really. We figured we'd start here and see where that took us." He gives her a pointed look.

Jessie ignores him. Buzz decides to ask another question.

"How have to managed to n—"

BOOM.

The building shakes above their heads. Jessie looks terrified and leaps away. Buzz tries to follow, but is stopped by his chained ankle.

"Jessie!" He calls. She whips around and realizes he's stuck. Jessie fumbles with the chains, barely managing to break him free before a large mass of stone lands were his foot had been a few mere seconds before. She grabs his hand.

"Run!" She yells, sprinting as fast as she can go while dragging Buzz behind her. The building is crumbling, Buzz realizes, as boulders and stones and rocks rain about their heads. Jessie's shrieking and tugging on his hand. He's going far too slow for her.

"Come _on_, goddammit!"

They make it to the staircase and just _run_. Buzz can't see anything; he doesn't know where he is, and he's only aware of Jessie's hand in his and the sudden pain in his shoulder as a boulder cracks his spacesuit. Buzz doesn't understand. This suit was supposed to be able to survive _anything_. He train of thought is immediately stopped when another large rock flies by him, cutting a gash on his now exposed shoulder. He hisses in pain. They're still running, and they must be nearly there by now, please let them nearly be there by now, and suddenly there's light all around him. Green light. From spacesuits.

Star Command had arrived.

* * *

Dun dun DUN. :D Review!


	5. Rescue

Again, two today. I'm spoiling you, aren't I? :3

Another character from _Buzz Lightyear of Star Command_ makes an appearance. It's Commander Nebula, but whatever. He's just there for plot information. :P

* * *

Buzz's eyes have difficulty adjusting to the sudden bright light. He sees many officers in Ranger garb, most of whom he doesn't recognize. The room is brighter then he's ever seen it, and the girl in red is in the corner, bound and gagged, her eyes terrified. Jessie gasps and attempts to dodge away from her possible captors, but there are too many of them; her quickness could not defeat a number of rangers this great. A few miss, but a cluster grabs onto her at once and pulls her to the ground. She's screaming, shaking her head, her eyes wild and even more terrified than the blonde girl's. Buzz takes a good look at the large number of rangers. His eyes widen.

They're rookies, he realizes, but not just that. They're there for the numbers, not as trainees. They've been expecting a fight, a big one, and brought in all these kids as distractions, possible bait, and captors. Buzz is thoroughly disappointed, even though he understands why they're here.

"Rangers!" Buzz says loudly and sternly. All of them immediately straighten up and salute Buzz, as he is superior to them in rank. A few glance at his bleeding shoulder. He pretends not to notice. Jessie has been left on the floor, cast aside like a rag doll. Her eyes are squeezed shut and she lies there, unmoving, bound as the red girl is.

Buzz, although in officer mode, can't help but feel a small twinge for Jessie. He doesn't truly know her, or what she's done, but she seemed far different then what he was expecting when he got here. Villains, perhaps of Zurg's forces, ready to pillage and kill on sight. That wasn't Jessie. It might be that Woody character—but it wasn't Jessie.

Buzz clears his throat. "Rangers, I assume you have stabilized the area."

There is a chorus of nervous, "Yes, Captain" s. Buzz nods.

"Is Commander Nebula in charge of you?" Who knows, this could be done under his nose. He isn't _that_ observant…

"Yes, sir."

"Okay. Who have you got hostage?"

One ranger steps out of formation for a moment, leaves into the pitch-black night (or day? Buzz has no idea) and returns with the cowboy. Woody doesn't look terrified. Just majorly pissed.

Buzz nods once again. "Good work, rangers." He motions for the rangers to bring Woody forth. They do.

The outlaw cowboy is angry to a point Buzz didn't know was possible. If he had lasers in his eyes, Buzz would've been dead five minutes ago. He looks at Woody casually, incensing him more.

"Did you _really_ think you could get away with all of this?" The answer in Woody's eyes, if spoken, would be defiant and contain several select curse words. Buzz sighs.

"Take them on board," He says, sounding uninterested. While a slew of rangers attempt to drag Woody to the ship, Buzz quickly darts over to Jessie.

"I'm sorry about this," He whispers, "I didn't know this was going to happen."

Jessie looks at him with beautiful eyes that are hurt and bewildered and full of tears. He picks her up—she fights it at first, she doesn't know what he's doing—but when he holds to his chest, almost like a baby, she stops struggling and instead buries her face into his armor and cries.

It is in this way that he carries her into the spaceship. She doesn't open her eyes.

* * *

It is an hour later when most of the chaos is settled and things have calmed down among the ship. The prisoners are all in one cell for the moment, until other accommodations can be arranged. Buzz wonders if Jessie's all right. He set her down in the cell and she didn't move from the position he placed her in. That was easily half an hour ago.

Buzz had been summoned up to the Commander's quarters for a debriefing and explanation. Apparently, nearly all of the equipment didn't work around the blackness that covered the sky of this strange place. The only thing that had been working was the chip in Buzz's suit that displayed his location. It was the location of Buzz—the way he was dragged around and kept in one place for a suspiciously long time—that alerted the Commander that something could be wrong. Not that the Commander wasn't suspicious anyway—they were on a strange planet with strange events going on, with no communication and a few little outlaws whose petty offences were hardly worth any attention. It wasn't the outlaws they came here for, the Commander was sure to tell Buzz—it was the odd circumstances surrounding this part of the planet.

"It's true that we were going to question them—but not about their _offences_. No, we were going to question them regarding the weather and anything they may know of Zurg. I thought they might be victims of some sort. However, given their behavior towards a certain high ranking member of the Galactic Alliance—well, let's just say the original plan has been added to slightly, shall we?" The Commander chuckles.

Buzz's suit has been repaired—it took two seconds with the tools onboard. The techies were at a loss to explain what could cause the suit to be damaged, and despite questioning Buzz quite a bit, they weren't any closer to an answer. Then again, they'd been so sure in the design that nearly any flaw got their brains short-circuiting. Buzz just figures those rocks were really hard.

His shoulder has been bandaged to the point where he can barely feel it.

He knows an injured ranger is to lie low during any intense combat, but considering that they don't know exactly what they are up against, Buzz figures he won't have this luxury—not that he wants it. He likes the fight and the adrenalin rush. That's why he volunteered to be the first one to enter the ghost town.

The Commander dismisses him and Buzz wanders down the corridors aimlessly. He's thinking terribly hard. The Commander had suggested that Zurg was behind the strange weather. Was this true? Were the outlaws servants of some kind, perhaps? Or victims? Or was this completely unrelated to Zurg? And if so, who was behind it?

* * *

Oh, my sweet wonderful reviews, tell me what you think!

P.S. Jess isn't OOC, in case you were wondering. You'll see next chapter.

P.P.S. Is the plot too predictable when it comes to the villian? I'm just asking; I'm slightly unsure.

OKAY. Review. ^_^


	6. Contained

Now, this chapter contains another of Youkaiyume's drawings. It's in the piece _Toy Story Livestream Sketches5_, second to the last drawing. I'm so annoyed that won't let me post links. Anyway, it features Outlaw!Jess and Buzz. Commence the fic!

* * *

Buzz somehow manages to wander to the prisoner's bay, which he finds odd, as number one, he was wandering and being here was a complete accident, and two, he wanted to check on Jessie more than anything right now. He supposes his subconscious has a lot to do with this. He thanks it silently.

None of the guards bother him as he enters—his clearance is almost equal with that of the Commander, and Buzz also trained half of the guards himself. He passes easily, and begins to walk up the corridor in hopes of finding them. He needs no excuse to be here. Buzz has one if necessary, but still—it's nice to not be questioned.

Most of the cells are filled with corpses in various states of decay (Buzz wrinkles his nose, surely something should be done about that? A few are fine for scaring prisoners, but this is ridiculous. He'll have to bring it up in the Management Committee meeting later). The few that aren't are mostly rogue criminals who were caught impersonating Zurg or ate their fellow species members without permission from the Galactic Alliance. Buzz sees one chomping on the bars of his cell. He flips open his arm communicator.

"Note to self," He mutters into it, "Consider making the prison less cannibal-friendly."

* * *

He reaches them, eventually, and they're in a high security cell he deems idiotic (Really, what have they done?). Jessie isn't crying or seemly depressed—in fact, she's sound asleep, curled up at the mouthy cowboy's side. The red girl is on the other side of the outlaw, her long crimson skirts spreading over the dusty floor. She's also asleep, but more intimately curled against Woody than Jessie. He's got one arm around her waist, and the other is around Jessie's shoulders. The cowboy, however, is not at all asleep. He's glaring at his surroundings with a fierce hatred. Buzz feels a vibration in his communicator.

"Captain Lightyear. Come in, Captain Lightyear."

"I read you, Commander Nebula."

"Our newest prisoners have separate cell blocks waiting for them in Section C. Send a few rangers to collect them. The guards posted there have already been notified. Over."

"Yes sir, Commander. Over and out."

The vibration stops.

Buzz straightens and heads back the way he came. He spots a few of rangers that aren't busy and takes them back to the prison bay.

"Now," He says to them, gesturing to the bulkier two of the three, "You two take the male. I warn you, he's uncooperative. You take the female in red. I'll handle the dark female."

The rangers nod. Buzz turns and finds Woody glaring at him. He walks to the cell and unlocks the door by placing his hand on the glowing DNA identification pad on the left side. The spacesuits are designed to be thick enough to protect the wearer, but also thin enough to allow fingerprints to transfer through. Only those cleared can open a prison cell. Buzz, of course, is one of them.

The cell bars glow turquoise, before unlocking themselves from the ceiling and floor of the cell. Buzz pushes them to the side—they're moveable, now—and he is nearly throttled by the insane cowboy, who's decided that pouncing on Buzz was an excellent idea. Well, Buzz hadn't seen it coming—they're still just as fast—but Woody does little, if any, damage. The other space rangers are on him like vultures to their prey. The commotion did, however, serve to wake the two girls. The red one squeaks and rolls away from the rangers, her eyes wide and rather narrowed, and Jessie's jumped up and is now crouched in a defensive position in a corner of the cell. She moves to push the red one in back of her, but the red girl isn't having any of that. She stands in nearly the same position as Jessie, her teeth bared. Buzz realizes with a start how many weapons she could conceal, with skirts as long and big as those ones. It hadn't occurred to him to check.

He marches forward, attempting to look menacing. The girls glance at each other, and straighten. Jessie rolls her eyes and the red one giggles. A sound causes him to turn back. Woody's been stabilized, kept put with a paralysis drug. He has a gash on his head, and blood is running down his neck. His eyes are still moving, though, and he seems conscious. Buzz finds this odd—the drug must work differently for the cowboy's species. A normal ranger would've been knocked out for at least two days with that shot.

Woody continues to glare at everything, although unable to move. The pretty blonde begins to move forward, but Buzz holds out a hand to stop her. She ignores him and bats it impatiently away. She kneels next to the paralyzed outlaw. Whispers in his ear. Woody's eyes lower. Buzz decides to intervene, but she then stands and backs up to where she originally was.

"Now," She says, and her voice is as beautiful as wind chimes swaying in the wind, "I don't want you to attack them again, Woody. I told you not to the first time, and you disobeyed me. You're only causing yourself trouble. I want you to _listen_ to me this time." Her voice becomes sharp. "Got it?"

Woody's nodding, a bit dejectedly. The two big rangers grab him and pull him upright. He doesn't fight back. The other ranger approaches the red girl. She holds her wrists out in silent and begrudging cooperation. Buzz is pleased to see that the ranger is not overly aggressive with her. She follows the cowboy.

Buzz turns to Jessie. She's grinning, and holds out her wrists like the red one, but far more playfully. He looks at her oddly—what happened to the hysterical thing?—but he decides to go with it, and binds them with the turquoise and glowing alloy, strong and yet pliable. She grins almost wickedly as he leads her outside. Her behavior is confusing him.

"What happened to the screaming and crying thing?" He asks quietly, completely bewildered. Jessie smiles even wider—how is _that_ possible?

"It's called theatrics, space cowboy," She smirks, "Comes in handy when you want people to be distracted."

Buzz frowns. He's still confused. "Distracted?"

"Yeah, so they can't see what you're really doing. It worked, in your case. I got you completely fooled."

"So what _were_ you doing?"

She snorts. "I'm not going to tell you. I'm just letting you know that things aren't the way you think."

He ponders this for a moment. Opens his mouth again, but they're there. He stops, and grazes the identification pad with his palm. The bars glow, detach and slide open. He leads Jessie inside, and uncuffs her. She smiles at him, looking a tiny bit tired and weary, but perfectly cheerful. He feels something in his chest region when he looks at her. Maybe it's a little pity, with the urge to tell her it's going to be all right. Maybe it's hope that she escapes, because she doesn't belong here, cooped up in an alien spaceship. She's wild and amazing to him, and he wishes it wasn't like this. He moves to pull the bars back to their original position, but she puts her hand on the last glowing bar, right above his. He has a difficult time looking at her.

"Jessie I…you got yourself into this."

"Got to meet you, didn't I?" She counters. "Don't regret any of it, partner."

She takes her hand away and he slides the last bar into position. The glowing stops, and he walks away.

* * *

:D


	7. Interrogation

La la la. You know the drill. :D

I'm surprised this is so long; it was a happy accident. I considered splitting it, but...nah. Enjoy.

* * *

Things are uneventful for a week.

The prisoners are cooperative, surprisingly so, even the cowboy. They do as they're told, stay silent, and don't cause trouble. Buzz isn't quite sure about what to think about this. He should either be grateful or very, very alarmed. Perhaps both.

The ship is still on Earth, because the lack of instruments that are operational prevents them from flying without great danger to all on board. The defense systems and crystallic fusion cells are in prefect working condition, however. Buzz begins to wonder if the enemy is taunting them. If there is an enemy at all.

He hasn't gone down to the prison bay since he locked Jessie up. He's not quite sure why, only that the thought makes him uncomfortable. What would he say? What _could_ he say? _"Hello, ma'am, I'm sorry you're locked up and all, but would you mind telling me all of your evil plans? It would be most appreciated."_

Buzz instead spends his time with Commander Nebula, attempting to come up with theories about the strange thing they've encountered. This doesn't do much good, however, as the Commander cannot come up with anything convincing or plausible, and Buzz is distracted, so he doesn't do much. Eventually the Commander orders him to go interrogate the prisoners for information, something Buzz has been begging him not to do mentally all along.

He continues to ponder while he is begrudgingly making his way to the prison bay. Something Jessie had said is caught in his mind.

"_I'm just letting you know that things aren't the way you think."_

Buzz shakes his head. She could've said that to distract him, as she'd done when she pretended to cry. Still, her words haunt him. What might she possibly know?

He rounds a corner. The prison bay is in sight now.

I don't know what she knows, he thinks, but I'm going to find out now.

* * *

Buzz considers talking to Woody first, but he knows that will get him nowhere. His little girlfriend or wife or whatever may have calmed him down, but Buzz doubted he'd stay that way if he were alone. He doesn't particularly _want_ to go to Jessie first, but he knows he has the best chance of sneaking information out of her. The red girl is too calm, the cowboy too passionate about his secrets. Breaking them would be hard. He hopes Jessie's different.

He strides over to the cell cluster of the outlaws, attempting to look cool, collected and in control. He thinks he's failing.

Buzz stops in front of Jessie's cell and clears his throat. The outlaw looks up, and Buzz is once again captured by her beauty. He has trouble finding his voice, as he's too busy unconsciously surveying the way that strand of fiery hair falls into her face, her cute little nose, and her large green eyes—so beautiful, so emotional—he could get lost in those eyes. He knows he's staring and can't seem to stop. It's only when she cautiously says, "Buzz?" that he snaps out of his analysis and remembers his duty.

"You are being submitted for questioning," He announces sternly, staring at the wall of the cell, "You are to follow me and all orders given to you. You are to answer all questions with the full truth. If this is found to not be the case, you will be subject to the punishments involving perjury under the law of the Galactic Alliance. Nothing you say under oath will be held against you, unless it is found to be illegal, unethical, immoral, or a lie. Is this clear and understood?"

Jessie blinks.

"I _repeat_, prisoner," Says Buzz, "Are all of the stated items understood?"

"Um…sure, I guess." Jessie says. Buzz strides forward, still not looking at her, and unlocks the bars of the cell with a handprint. The bars once again glow turquoise. He pushes them aside and holds out a pair of the glowing alloy handcuffs. Jessie allows her wrists to be bound, and then she is taken from the room by Buzz, who has yet to look at her. She's torn between laughing and yelling. What was this about _questioning_?

The word stirs something in her memory. She recalls something Buzz said earlier, while he was _her_ captive.

"_I was sent here to question you…and incidentally, take you prisoner."_

Well, now, she thinks dryly. Mission accomplished.

* * *

The light in the tiny room is too bright and the glares she's getting for just existing are starting to annoy her. A mean looking ranger is standing guard at the door, his bulk taking up the entire frame. Her hands are still bound, and she's seated at a tiny desk. Buzz just happens to be sitting across from her. Of _course_ he's the one questioning her. Jessie's trying not to roll her eyes.

The best part is that he's still not looking at her.

"Prisoner, you have been read the rules and regulations you are to abide by. Is that correct?"

She's trying not to laugh. "Yes, Buzz—you read them to me, remember?"

"Prisoners are not to talk back to their superiors," He says, eyes flashing.

Jessie smirks. "I'll let you know if I find any."

Buzz stands in anger and barks an order.

"Ranger Seren, please leave until I say you may return. I need to deal with this—disobedient—prisoner."

"But, Captain! I was told by Commander N—"

"That was not a request, but an _order_, Seren," Buzz hisses through clenched teeth. The ranger nods, looking very much like a bulky and terrified puppy, and promptly exits. Buzz proceeds to pace around the very small space.

"I have tried to be reasonably respectful towards you, prisoner. You _will_ be punished for your actions."

Jessie really does roll her eyes this time. "Cut the crap, Buzz. What do you want?"

He slams his hands on the desktop in anger. Jessie merely looks up at him with thoroughly unimpressed eyes. He breathes, trying to calm himself, and then leans forward. His nose is only a few inches from hers. He staring straight at her now, glaring with icy blue eyes. His mouth opens.

"Who is your master?"

Jessie sighs. "You know I'm not going to tell you that."

Buzz's eyes narrow. "So you have a master? Interesting…" He's trying to taunt her, even fool her for information. She glares at him in return.

"Tell me, prisoner, how many people have you killed?"

"What does this have to do with anything?" She shoots back. "Why are you questioning me, anyway? I haven't done anything to you."

"We are willing to hurt you for information, prisoner, so you might as well cooperate now! It ought to be in your best interests!"

"I'm willing to die to protect what I know," She hisses. He can tell it's a lie, though. Whatever information she has in that pretty head of hers can be extracted through force.

He's seen it before.

"Listen to me," He says quietly and yet forcefully, "We have ways of extracting information. We have instruments that can torture you within an inch of death. We have a liquid we can inject in your veins that burns you alive, and slowly. We can create alternate dream worlds that make you relive the worst moments of your life. We can stimulate pain censors in your brain to an unbearable degree, so the lightest touch can make you feel as if your bones are shattering. I have seen all of this done; I have overseen certain procedures myself. Star Command will not hesitate to use these methods on you if you are uncooperative. I don't want to see this happen to you. So you really should speak now, Jessie."

Jessie's eyes are hard, but they widen slightly when Buzz uses her name. He feels his cheeks turning slightly pink. He hadn't meant to say her name. She studies his face.

"I can't, Buzz," She tells him softly, "You don't understand…I _can't_."

"Why?" He asks, just as softly, "Why can't you cooperate? Why won't you?"

Jessie seems to be debating something in her head. She's biting her lip and her eyes dart around in worry. She takes a deep breath and finally speaks. "There's a curse. The weirdness around here is a curse. I am bound by it, and so is my cousin. I cannot reveal anything without putting him in danger."

Buzz's eyebrows shoot up, and then they furrow. "Your cousin?"

"Woody," Jessie clarifies. "He's like my brother. I grew up with him. I don't care about my own life being in danger, but I will _not_ endanger his."

Buzz's thoughts are running a mile a minute. A thousand questions are swimming in his head. He eventually forces one out. "What do you mean, a curse?"

"I can't, Buzz!" She shrieks suddenly, her eyes as wild and terrified as the day she was captured, "I can't! You can torture me all you like, but I can't tell you, I won't!"

He winces at the thought of her being subjected to any of those machines. "We need to know."

She shakes her head, seemingly defeated. "No. No, Buzz."

He feels a twinge, watching her look so helpless. He kneels in front of her, his eyes searching her face. Jessie's eyes are closed, and she is clearly near tears. Buzz lifts a hand to her chin, but she pulls her head away and to the side. He tries again.

"Jessie," He murmurs, finally forcing her to look at him, "I'm sorry. I just don't want you to get hurt."

He can see the difference, now. Her eyes are open and she's staring at him through a pool of unshed tears. But he knows she's not faking emotion this time. Her eyes are different, full of real pain and loss and despair. She's not trying to fool him. She has no reason to.

"I know," She whispers. A tear slides down her face and Buzz has the urge to wipe it away. He brings a hand up and touches the side of her face, erasing the tear in the process. She looks at him, sadly and quizzically, her brow furrowed. He doesn't fully understand why, and he knows it's an incredibly foolish thing to do, but he can't seem to help himself as he lifts his head higher and presses his mouth to hers.

She freezes for a moment, shocked and unsure, and bewildered by the turn of events. But then her eyes shut and he embraces her and all the nerves in her body come alive. She presses herself to him, kissing him back, her bound hands preventing her from clutching him. Buzz deepens the kiss, trying to tell her all the things he needs her to know without words.

_I'm sorry, I wish it weren't like this, I want you safe, I _need_ you safe…_

She presses to him harder, and the force is almost bruising. The kisses are hard, desperate, full of raw emotion and the absolute _need_ for each other. She doesn't want him to let go and he's not going to. When they do break apart, they're both breathing heavily. Buzz looks straight into Jessie's eyes, his soul completely exposed to her. It's overwhelming for her, and she knows her eyes are the same way his are.

"Jessie," He says to her, very quietly, "I can't let them hurt you."

"But you can't stop them." Her eyes seem to be pleading. Buzz sighs heavily.

"Please, just tell me, Jessie. I wish I could completely protect you from them but I know I can't. The only way I can stop this is if you tell me everything."

Jessie squeezes her eyes shut and a few spare tears escape the corners of her eyes. She presses her lips together and then opens her mouth.

"But Woody…"

"I won't let him get hurt, Jess. But you need to tell me."

She nods and quietly murmurs, "Okay." She takes a deep breath and begins to speak.

* * *

*is currently laughing at the expressions on all of your faces*

Ahem. Don't worry, you'll get it soon. Like, in the next day or two.

God, I'm evil. Anyway. Review! :D


	8. Histories

I'm sorry, I'm _sorry_, life got in the way and I apologize and I'm still writing this. Don't worry, I'm still writing! *dodges bricks*

* * *

"The whole thing started twenty years ago, I suppose. The year was 1845. My life was great back then. I was twenty-one, and Woody was twenty-five. We were spoiled little things. Our grandfather owned the town we lived in, and pretty much everything in it. We had everything you could wish for—wealth, happiness, power—but it was the last one that caused the whole thing. See, my grandpa loved power a little too much. He let his status get into his head. He was a lovable old thing, apart from that, but in the spring of the year I turned twenty-one, it changed him. The power began forming and shaping him, and he wasn't my grandfather anymore. He became greedy. Grandpa hired a bunch of bandits as greedy as he was, and sent them to steal and cause havoc. Neither Woody nor I knew this at the time. Woody was sent to investigate these crimes, because he was the new Sheriff and he took his job so, so seriously. And God, he tried, but Grandpa was just too good for him. He got leads, he lost leads, and Grandpa himself pretended to be supportive in Woody's search for the terrible thieves. He, of course, didn't find out for a long, long time.

"Grandpa continued to get worse. He started having hallucinations, believing his family was out to steal his money. Now, this was true in the case of a few of my cousins, and Grandpa took care of them pretty quickly. But then he turned on the rest of his family.

"I never saw a lot of my relatives. I wasn't too close to them, so I don't know what happened to them. But Woody and Grandpa were my family. The day he turned on Woody and me was easily one of the worst in my life. Until then, I thought maybe he'd get better, or that it was just old age or something. But that day I saw his eyes, and—oh, Buzz—I knew then that this wasn't what I thought. Woody tried to kept him from hurting me, but even at twenty-five he wasn't a match for Grandpa. Grandpa was a lot bigger than him. He beat Woody first, so that when it came to me, Woody wouldn't get in the way. He underestimated him, of course. Woody was, and is, so valiant. Even when beaten black and blue he tried to protect me. It didn't work, of course, and Grandpa beat me more then he did Woody, out of anger and spite.

"I was his favorite, growing up. I was his little Jessie. My mother died when I was seven, giving birth to my little brother. My daddy died from smallpox three months before that. Mama lost the will to live after he passed, and she also caught smallpox during the pregnancy. That's why the baby didn't survive. So I was alone, and Grandpa took me in.

"Woody's parents were both shot and killed during a raid on the town a few years before that. That's the reason he went into law enforcement. He was already at Grandpa's when I arrived, and he wasn't too happy about my presence. It was like I was his new, irritating sibling. Thankfully, he grew out of that by the time I was eleven and he was fifteen. He eventually learned that picking a fight with me wasn't worth it.

"But anyway, Grandpa wasn't Grandpa anymore. He lost all sense of love and caring. He worshipped money, but even that wasn't enough. He called on a dark man to keep his power absolute. The dark man set a curse on our town, one that caused time to freeze. Most inhabitants of the town were gone by then, having been driven out by the violence and terror Grandpa set upon them. Time stopped, as Grandpa had asked. He wished to live forever and build up his fortune. He didn't realize that Woody and I were nearby when the spell was cast. We had come back with Bullseye, Woody's horse, just to check the state of things. We both loved Grandpa, even though things had changed so drastically. He didn't realize we were there. The spell was cast on us, as well. We were frozen in time, unable to age or change. We tried to run, but a part of that curse was black darkness wherever we went. We were forced to live in that darkness, from horizon to horizon, for the rest of our days. The cold that set in was unbearable.

"Grandpa found out, obviously—we were all under the same curse, and the dark man told him there was more than one under the spell. He was a sly creature, Grandpa. I don't even know how he found us.

"He took us and forced us to become slaves of his bidding. We became the Outlaws, the demons, the ones who pillaged and killed and tortured, all for money. I never liked it, Buzz. I didn't usually enjoy killing people. But he threatened to hurt us and he threatened our lives—and Woody was so adamant about living. The only reason I stayed alive was because of him.

"Grandpa grew tired of us and tried to end our lives on several occasions. Woody managed to hide us very well. I don't even know how he did it. It was completely against nature that we lived at all. Woody spoke with Grandpa, and convinced him that we were not a threat, at least for the time being. He said he'd allow us to live if we were 'faithful' to him—meaning that we would continue killing and stealing, and giving all of the profit to him. He said that if he had any doubts, he wouldn't hesitate to end us. We lived like that for a very long time.

"And then Woody began to change. It was slight, but noticeable. He began to have a fondness for killings and thievery. I managed to keep him from getting too bad, but he was still never the same again. He started kidnapping those who came to investigate the strange weather, usually stealing from them before ending their lives.

"And then Bo came. I'm not sure why, she never really said, but Woody found her. He tried to kill her, he did, but she was terrified and beautiful and just fifteen years old. He couldn't do it. He took her in, sheltered her, and quickly fell in love with her. At the time, she was too young for him, so he waited two years before courting her. They got married last year—she's nineteen now. But that brought up a problem.

"Bo's still aging. Woody and I are not. Before, his mindset was one of reasonable contentment. But then he got Bo. He didn't want her to grow old when we were frozen in time. And so he appealed to Grandpa.

"He was furious. Beyond furious. Woody had told an outsider our secrets. He tried to kill Woody right there. Woody barely managed to escape. But in the short conversation they had, he discovered something. The curse _could_ be broken—as long as its caster was dead.

"That was the last thing we ever heard from Grandpa. It was over a year ago. He still has a bandit come by every week and collect our riches, but we haven't heard from him since. Woody finds this suspicious, especially after the last series of threats. We keep to ourselves as much as possible, because it's safer that way. But Woody's been weary. He thinks Grandpa's preparing for something. Something really, really big. Something much bigger than us."

Jessie stops, and bites her lip. Buzz is overwhelmed.

"How can you speak of this so matter-of-factly? So neutrally?"

A small smile crosses Jessie's features. "I've had twenty years to think about this, Buzz. Twenty years to get over it and move on. Twenty years is an eternity when you're isolated. Obviously, I'm not completely healed. The reason for the tears is the love I have for my family—not a result of the things that happened to me."

She leans closer to Buzz. "You can't let Woody get hurt because of this," She whispers urgently, "And Bo, for that matter. Please, Buzz."

Buzz puts a hand on the back of her head. "I made you a promise, Jessie. I'm not going to let any of you get hurt." He pauses for a moment, thinking. "Bo is the one in red, right?"

Jessie nods. She grins. "You don't want to mess with her."

Buzz is already very aware of this. He asks another question.

"If you two are immortal, how can you be injured? Woody has a gash on his head."

"We heal, and quickly. We can only die through acts of violence. Stabbing, drowning, burning…we don't age. But we're not invincible."

Buzz nods, deep in thought. Jessie takes his hands into her bound ones. "You can't tell Star Command."

"I know. I'm not going to."

* * *

As soon as he allows the door to open, Buzz puts on his most annoyed, severe, and menacing face. He is none of those things, and he in fact is barely aware of his surroundings. He returns Jessie to her cell, with his face not moving a bit. The only thing he does to give himself away is a quick squeeze to Jessie's hand after he removes the handcuffs. Jessie is thankful for at least this sign of comfort.

Buzz leaves the prison bay, his head spinning. What was he going to tell the Commander? How was he going to keep the three prisoners safe? And, if he managed to do those two things, how was he going to keep his post? A restriction of information to a higher-ranking officer could be punishable by death.

Buzz thinks hard. He could lie for now—he wasn't going to reveal what he knew, that much was certain. He manages to amble to the Commander, fully prepared to lie through his teeth. Most of the instruments in the cockpit are not working, and Buzz notes this when he enters. The curse seemed to be very thorough. Buzz prepares to clear his throat to draw attention to himself. The majority of his brain screams that drawing attention to himself is a dumb idea. Buzz concurs, but does so regardless. The Commander's chair spins.

"Commander Nebula," Buzz begins, "I have interrogated one of the prisoners. She revealed information, sir."

"Excellent, Lightyear. And?"

Buzz prepares to sit down and lie without emotion, but before he has the chance to do that, the floor begins to shake. It vibrates for a few moments, and then stops. Both Buzz and the Commander look at each other with quizzical brows.

"What the—?"

Buzz is cut off when the vibrating picks up again, and a resonating crash accompanies it. His eyes widen when he starts to hear screaming from the floors below. The Commander spins wildly and attempts to yell into a microphone in front of the useless controls, but he then slumps in his chair and releases a mighty string of curse words, before slamming his fist on the arm of his chair.

"Commander?"

"No communication, Captain. It was working perfectly ten minutes ago. One of the only things that actually stayed operational!"

Buzz's attention is shifted elsewhere as he sees a change in the blackness covering the cockpit's windows. It seemed misty before, sort of gaseous, like dry ice. Now, however, the blackness that surrounds them is solid and unmoving.

"Commander, sir, do you remember the atmosphere of this planet to be so black?"

"What? Captain, I'm not following."

"The darkness, Commander. It's different than it was."

"I don't follow you, Lightyear. I must gather the rangers for potential combat, and find out what in the galaxy is going on out there. You would do well to follow me."

Buzz knows he cannot do this. "With all respect, Commander, I feel I would be more useful guarding prisoners, to be sure they do not escape and cause any havoc. Most of the rangers you will be arranging are usually at the prison bay. Someone needs to be there."

Commander Nebula tiredly rubs his eyes with a thumb and index finger. "Keep your arm communicator on. I'll probably need you later."

"Yes, Commander."

Buzz sprints down the corridor, exceedingly alarmed and very worried, although he barely registers this in his brain. He reaches the bay in a mere minute, a remarkable feat for even the most agile space ranger. He whips his head wildly around. The ground is continuing to shake.

Buzz darts over to Jessie's cell. She's pressing up against the bars of her cell, looking truly terrified.

"It's him, Buzz!" She shrieks, as Buzz desperately attempts to free her (his hands are shaking, and the vibrating from beneath isn't helping either). "Buzz, it's my grandfather, I know it, we've been held captive and didn't pay him for two weeks! He's found us; he'll try to end you! We need to get out!"

Buzz is nodding and swearing at the equipment and barely registering what she's saying. The bars detach and glow, and he shakily frees her. She flings herself at him and wraps her arms around his neck. Buzz clings back with just as much enthusiasm.

He hears a series of deafening loud bangs, followed by clattering noises behind him. He automatically turns and shoves Jessie behind him. Buzz crouches, ready to spring, only to see the red girl, Bo, is already free from her cell and wielding a revolver. She smiles at Buzz and blows on the smoking end.

"Hello, handsome." She glances at him confusedly, noting that Jessie is behind him. "Have you come to crash our party?"

"No, Bo, he freed me, it's fine." Jessie brushes off her trousers and strides forward, past Buzz and over to Woody's cell. She glances inside.

"Woody?"

"Here, Jess!"

She spins and looks upward. Her eyebrows rise as they take in Woody, dangling from the ceiling. He's grinning and looking utterly pleased with himself. Jessie rolls her eyes.

Woody decides to let go at this point, and sails down to the ground from his perch, which had been at least twenty feet above the ground. There's a rope hanging from the ceiling. Buzz has to wonder how he got up there.

"How…?"

"Bo." Jessie explains briefly, "She's got a lot of weapons under her skirt, including a hacksaw. I'm surprised no one bothered to check."

Bo shrugs in response to this. "I look innocent enough."

Buzz is stunned. "So…"

"So Woody sawed through the bars of his cell in the commotion. It took all of forty seconds. How'd you end up on the ceiling?"

"I jumped," Woody responds, "But should we really be telling this guy all of our secrets?" He glances at Buzz furtively.

"Woody, he's on our side. Besides, I already told him everything." Jessie picks at her fingernails. Woody's eyes nearly pop out of his sockets.

"You WHAT?"

"Relax. Woody! It's fine."

Woody opens his mouth in a rather comical and outraged fashion, but before a reply can be made, the floor begins shaking even more violently. And this time, the severity doesn't lessen.

"Right, we're in trouble." Jessie says quickly. "Buzz, we need to get out."

Buzz turns to the corridor and sprints out of the prison bay. Jessie quickly catches up with him.

"What about the other prisoners?"

"They're either part of Zurg's forces or they'll eat you if they get the chance. If Zurg's attacking us, he'll find them anyway and they'll be dealt with."

Jessie nods and notes that the corridors are completely empty. She glances behind her, only to see a panting Woody and a determined Bo.

"Buzz, where is everyone?"

"Downstairs. They're gathered to attack. Hold on!"

Buzz skids to a stop in front of a large window, floor to ceiling. The rest follow suit. Jessie looks outside and screams. Woody's eyes are very wide and Bo shrinks into his side.

The pressing blackness is gone, only to be replaced with a sight that is exactly as Buzz feared. Surrounding the ship, and attempting to invade, is a huge mass of red things. Buzz squints, but doesn't recognize the creatures. Jessie seems to know, however.

"Jessie, what are they?"

She takes a shuddering breath. Woody pulls her to his other side.

"They're—they're monkeys. Sort of. They're mutant creatures, very very strong. If they got inside, they could tear this ship apart in minutes. And that darker shadowy mist behind them—that's how the dark man presents himself. That's our grandpa's forces."

Buzz frowns. "I recognize this. The mist, the attack method—it's familiar to me. I'm not sure how…Wait. Oh no."

He turns to Jessie. Grabs her shoulders.

"What's your grandfather's name?"

"Peter," Jessie answers confusedly, "It's Peter."

Buzz's shoulders slump, his hands still on Jessie. His eyes are shut.

"Buzz?" Jessie asks worriedly, "What is it?"

"I know who's doing this. I know who it is. Oh, this is bad. This is very very bad."

"Why? Buzz, what's happening?" Jessie's voice rises in pitch.

"Your grandfather. This attack. It all makes sense now." Buzz seems to be in shock.

Jessie is now thoroughly alarmed. "Buzz, please talk! You're scaring me!"

"It's Stinky Pete. Your grandfather, the root of these attacks… it's all Stinky Pete."

* * *

Well, crap. :P

Review, my lovely loves.


	9. Preparations

I'm sorry it took so long! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I am sooo far from abandoning this, updates are just slow because I've got college in nine days and all the preparations that come with that. Stressed? Oh yes!

Anyway, enjoy.

* * *

It's very, very dark here, she notes, and the spellwork was done well. She grins, rather pleased. Peter joins her.

"Tell me, my spellcaster," He says quietly, "Is our victory set in stone? Or is it hazy, as you last predicted?"

The woman shuts her eyes and appears to be thoroughly concentrating. She bites her lip.

"Hazy, my dear sir, as unfortunate as that may be. No—wait—let's see. Our victory is almost certain, unless they have knowledge of us prior to the attack. And that's doubtful." She looks at him and smiles. "The chances are good, Pete."

"Good. I do not fear telling this to the Emperor. Stay here, Dolly. You are a valuable asset. We cannot have you in any sort of danger."

"I didn't plan on relocating."

"My Lord, it is according to plan."

"Good. I would expect nothing less of you. Is Dolly safe, Peter?"

"Yes, my Emperor. The first batch of troops has been sent out. They should stabilize the area. We'll receive word shortly if they were successful."

"Excellent. Continue with your work."

"Yes, Emperor Zurg."

* * *

Buzz and the Outlaws are running.

"We need to get downstairs, possibly outside. This ship isn't safe anymore. Neither is the outside, but we have a better chance of survival out there. Stinky Pete is not merciful and does not care if innocents suffer. Thanks to you, Jessie, I've got a better idea of why." Buzz gives Jessie a soft look, full of thankfulness and gratitude and something else, too terrifying to name. It makes her heart beat faster.

Buzz signals for them to stop and they skid to a halt. He glances around, listening, and hears the sounds of a debriefing. The rangers must be still be preparing, he thinks. But that leads to another problem.

"Alright," Says Buzz, "I think I may be able to strike a deal with the Commander regarding your prisoner status. If it works, you'll be set free, all charges will be dropped, and you'll be able to help us. I've got a plan."

Jessie's shaking her head in disbelief. "Buzz, what could possibly—?"

Buzz turns to her. "Jessie, this will work. I promise. But I've made a mistake in letting you out. You need to go back. No, Jessie, listen to me. I'm going to keep the cells unlocked. I'll be the one to come and get you. The Commander trusts me, and my judgment. I should be getting you in ten minutes. Trust me."

Jessie bites her lip, but nods at him. Buzz kisses her forehead. "Do you know the way?"

Jessie nods again. "Okay," Buzz whispers, "Go."

She hurriedly leads the others back to where they came. Bo glances back at him with slightly narrowed eyes before swishing behind the corner. Well, he can't have everyone's trust.

Buzz puts on a confident expression and strides forward, turning a corner and entering a large room filled with many people. The ceiling is domed, the walls curved, and the entire room looks like an overly large fishbowl. Chaos is currently taking place, as everyone is shouting at each other with heated expressions. Buzz rolls his eyes—what else to expect from a bunch of rookie rangers?

The Commander isn't faring so well. His mustache is frazzled and his tiny eyes are bloodshot and bulging. Buzz knows something needs to be done if they want to defeat the enemy. Preferably something fast and quick.

"Commander," Buzz shouts, attempting to get the poor man's attention, "Sir, I have information about the enemy!"

"Lightyear," Says the Commander, looking thoroughly relieved, "Get these rangers under control!"

Yeah, that's no problem. Most of them are hotheaded teenagers filled with ambition and too much testosterone. Making them shut up for ten seconds (while they were all crowded together) was nearly impossible. Buzz sighs. Desperate times…

Buzz crouches in a defensive position and aims his laser at a decorative pillar close to the wrestling rangers. Close enough to get their attention; far enough away to not cause injury. He expertly aims the laser at the pillar and presses the activation button. The red light hits one point of the beam and creates a small hole. Buzz moves his arm to make a straight line. The pillar is cut in half cleanly.

The top wobbles for a moment, and seems to fall in slow motion. Again, Buzz is certain it will hurt no one, though for one moment, his confidence wavers. The column falls, a little closer then he anticipated to the crowd of teenagers, and shatters on the unforgiving hardness of the floor. A few yelp and jump backwards, but a good majority of them spin and finger their lasers protectively, crouching in various defensive positions, similar to Buzz's earlier movements. At least they'd learned something in training.

"Rangers!" He calls, "Control yourselves! You consider yourselves part of the Galactic Alliance, let alone this proud branch of Star Command? Ha! I've seen better performances from a bunch of untrained civilians. If we are to defeat the enemy that is breaking down our defenses at this very moment, then we _must_ work together and in a _timely fashion_. I know many of you have not faced a situation that wasn't in complete control of Star Command—but this isn't training, and there is real danger out there. You are Space Rangers, kiddies. Act like them. That's an order."

Several of that teenager's eyes are downcast, but all of rangers immediately say, "Yes, Captain!", regardless of their feelings or backgrounds or current states. Space Rangers obey their superiors. Everyone knows that, and they know to leave it well enough alone.

"Now," Buzz continues, and he begins to pace the ground, "I know a bit more about the enemy then yourselves. Allow me to share this information. The enemy's name is Stinky Pete. He has an army of strange red creatures currently attempting to break in. It is doubtful that they will succeed, however, they are quite strong and they are great in number. Use your lasers against them. When I give word, set your lasers from Stun to Kill. Do _not_ show mercy for these creatures, as they will not show you any mercy whatsoever. You have been trained in the correct methods of combat. You will use them with the greatest efficiency. I have been given the Commander's permission to be the main general in this fight, as I know more about the circumstances. Any unhappiness about these arrangements shall be told directly to the Commander, although I wouldn't advise it. I will be back shortly, and at that time, the fight shall begin."

Buzz turns and walks to the Commander. Murmuring has broken out among the rookies.

"Well done, Lightyear," The Commander says tiredly, rubbing his temple, "I'm getting a bit too old for this job. Although I see you granted yourself permission to lead this particular battle." He sighs. "I would've myself, but see to it that you stop making assumptions. If I cared enough to do it, I could write you up for that. But you're a smart man, Lightyear. I trust you. You understand the situations in ways I do not and I'm glad to have you on our side. You're quite a useful Captain."

"Thank you, sir. I apologize for the assumptions. It was too bold of my rank."

"Indeed. However, I believe you had something to tell me?"

"Ah. Yes, Commander. The prisoners revealed the information I have just given out. They are cooperative and, I believe, trustful, sir. They have caused no problems and have helped the Alliance immensely. I believe we should let them fight against this enemy, as they know him best. They have given no indications of wishing to join him; in fact, they are in agreement with us. An alliance with them would surely lead to victory on our side. As I have previously stated, the information they have given us is useful and helpful. Considering the state of things, sir, and on the condition that they fight for us, not against us, I find it reasonable to request that all charges on them be dropped."

The Commander's brow, already furrowed, became so scrunched up that his wrinkles appeared to be folding in on themselves. He contemplates this for a minute, then shakes his head.

"Unacceptable, Captain. That is too heavy a request. I will not consider it."

"Sir—"

"No, Captain. I have not dealt with these prisoners, but chances are they will say anything to make you doubt yourself. I will _not_ allow it."

"Commander, a compromise? I could—"

"Lightyear! Enough. I need you assemble these troops and _not_ ask for unreasonable favors. Go. Battle begins in ten minutes. Well," He says darkly, "If the enemy's forces don't get in here first."

Buzz tries to keep his face neutral. "Yes, Commander. Very well. Sir." He adds it at the end, nearly not caring enough to. He spins on his heel and leaves the large room with dignity. He breaks into a run as soon as he is out of sight.

* * *

She's quite sure she can't take the silence anymore. Woody's merely looking bored and Bo's brow is furrowed. The only noises are the gentle clanging from those damned monkeys trying to get in and the soft chomps of the cannibals a few cells down. Jessie risks a look at Bo. Sky blue eyes meet emerald ones.

"Why do you trust him, Jessie?" Bo asks softly. Jessie feels her temper flare slightly.

"Why do you trust Woody?" She fires back. Woody fixes his eyes on her and looks rather insulted. Bo answers primly.

"Because I love him. He's kept me safe, loved, and reasonably protected. Well—" She glances at Woody with amused eyes.

Woody speaks up. "Honey, usually you're the one saving _my_ ass. Who has that oversized hacksaw under their skirt? I couldn't even figure out how the hell you got it under there."

Bo smiles sweetly. "Skill, my dear. Skill."

Jessie's barely paying attention anymore, just pondering Bo's earlier words. Why _does_ she trust Buzz? She isn't sure. Maybe it's because she revealed everything to him, and now she has no choice but to trust him. But she knows she trusted him even before that. Jessie racks her brains and finds no suitable cause for it. She is about to give up when she hears loud footsteps rapidly approaching. Jessie barely has time to look up before Buzz hurdles around the corner. He skids to a stop.

"Right. Forget that. Moving on to Plan B. I'm breaking you out of here."

* * *

I LOVE YOU ALL.


	10. Escape

I continue to apologize for the lack of updates; life is killing my free time right now. Again, I'm not abandoning it. It's just slow going.

* * *

They are running. Again. They are ducking out of sight. Again. And they are fighting two sets of enemies. Again.

It's all really very tedious.

Buzz leads them to a dingy looking part of the ship, one that is full of warning signs and unstable corridors. He opens a tiny door and motions them inside. Jessie, eyes narrowed, goes first, despite Woody's attempts to be chauvinistic. When they are all crammed inside, Buzz included, a light is switched on. Buzz's glowing suit had done nothing to help Jessie register her surroundings.

But then the light is switched on.

Jessie punches Buzz as hard as she can muster. It actually dents his spacesuit.

"You imbecile! A supply closet?"

Buzz rolls his eyes. He points, as best as he can. "There's an escape hatch on the floor. It's a way out."

Jessie stops. "Oh."

Woody snickers and squats over the hatch. He has to maneuver around Bo's skirt, but not before sneaking a peak.

"Wow, a saber? And I see at least fifteen hand grenades—"

Bo kicks his shoulder with a pointed shoe. Woody grimaces.

* * *

"How long has it been?"

"About 30 minutes, my Lord."

"Have they done any damage?" The menacing voice sounds scornful.

"Unfortunately, my Emperor, not _quite_ as much as we had hoped, but there is still time and—"

"Silence, blathering fool! Dolly, my spellcaster, what have you tell me?"

Dolly looks slightly troubled, but shuts her ebony eyes, concentrating unduly. Her violet hair gives her a rather pallid look.

"There will be a fight." She says, sounding determined. "But those monkeys won't do anything useful against the armor of that ship, which is odd, considering how weak all of their materials are compared to ours...okay, yes. The aliens will use lasers against us, and brute force. The monkeys will do damage against the actual people. Peter and I will stay back with you, Emperor Zurg. But that is all I can know."

"Yes…the minions will now pull out. Get the invaders outside, and deal with them there. We _will_ win this."

* * *

The ground is spongier than any of them remember, mostly because all four of them had been living on a ship with pristine, stark-white, and very hard floors. Jessie revels in the feel of the earth beneath her. _This_ was where she belonged. Her home, her life, everything she valued was down here. Her cousin, her chances for freedom, her horse—

Jessie stops.

Her horse.

Bullseye.

Where was Bullseye?

Jessie spins and grabs Woody by the shoulders.

"Woody! Where's Bullseye?"

Woody's eyes widen for a moment. "God, Jess, I don't even know! Damn it. We left too fast, I didn't even tie him up—"

Jessie whips around to Buzz. "Has the battle started yet?"

"No, they know to wait until I am there. Unless the Commander chooses to carry forward early, which is entirely possible, given the circumstances."

Jessie turns and takes in the surrounding area. The only thing to even suggest something hostile happened is the numerous shallow dents covering the outside of the towering spaceship. There are no monkey-like creatures in sight. It is still as dark and silent as ever. Jessie's eyes narrow in suspicion.

"This isn't right. Buzz—something's wrong. More than usual."

"I know," He murmurs quietly, striding forward. "The enemy has withdrawn. All that can mean is they plan to battle us fairly soon."

"The fog's lifted," Woody notes.

Bo sets her jaw. "So what are we going to do?"

Jessie suddenly grins. "Break every rule in the books."

"Yeah, because we don't do that constantly," Bo mutters, annoyed.

* * *

Jessie takes over for the most part—Buzz trusts her and she knows what she's doing, far more then he does. She positively marches forward and into the ghost town. Buzz can't understand how she can simply walk up to it, but darkness has been her world for the last twenty years. He thinks she must be used to it, but given the expression on her face, he finds it unlikely that that is the case.

"We have to find Bullseye," She says quietly to her three companions, "He's our fastest transportation and he's very, very smart. I can't believe I completely forgot about him. I'm just hoping he's still around."

"If he has any sense in him, he won't be," Woody puts in, "But that curse is on him, too. He'll be in darkness wherever he goes, poor guy. And people might think it's us."

"Doesn't matter if they do, though," Jessie remarks, "We're still here and they're too scared to come after us."

"Yeah, but they might get a little riled."

"True."

"What's wrong with that?" Buzz can't help himself. Jessie faces him.

"Sometimes the men of the surrounding towns get a little sick of us. They have hunting parties."

"Hunting parties?"

"They hunt us," Woody explains, "It's on a rare occasion and they never come close to catching us, but still…It'd be better if this whole situation didn't have additional complications. Or weapons."

Jessie nods, looking distant. She utters a strange, piercing call into the blackness. It echoes, but no response is heard.

"So he isn't here, then," Jessie sighs, "Smart horse."

Bo cuts in. "We ought go where it's safe. If he's not here, we shouldn't linger."

Jessie raises her eyes to Buzz's. His heart speeds up, against his will.

"What should we do, Buzz?" She asks him quietly.

He thinks hard for several moments.

"The ship." He says decidedly, "It's best we go back there. Safety in numbers, even though those numbers may want to kill you."

Jessie shrugs. "Nothing new. It's good enough for me. Bo, since we're here, so you need any more supplies?"

Bo shakes her head. "I'm fully stocked. There's no more room in here, anyway." She pats her full skirt.

Jessie nods. "Okay. Let's go."

The four of them run, ducking, as quietly and silently as they are able. It would've taken two minutes for them to reach the ship.

They don't make it.


	11. Introductions

*enter life fail* D: I take too long to update!

Okay, so from what I can tell, I'll update a chapter roughly every Saturday, as my schedule allows. Approximately. It'll depend. :)

I got some important stuff out of the way in this one, some foreshadowing, plot points...general epicness. Anyway, enjoy, my sweets!

P.S. I'm so sorry I haven't responded to reviews lately! Busy and exhausting schedule is busy and exhausting.

* * *

Jessie's ears are on full alert, ready to sense any changes that could equal life or death for them. They are forty seconds away from the ship.

And then many things happen in a three second period.

The temperature, always cold, drops twenty degrees in one full second. The result is seizing muscles and the inability to run any further. Any breaths make misty clouds in the black night, disappearing almost as instantly as they came into existence.

Jessie, concentrating so hard in every way to sense danger, trips and falls, due to the sudden cold and other factors she recognizes as an attack method. Buzz partly catches her on her way down, but he, too, falters.

The reason and cause for both instances is revealed one moment later. Because not only is the air cold, but it begins to fill with a sound, and sound so truly terrible and familiar to both Woody and Jessie that the two of them instinctively flinch. The sound is low yet high, joyful and yet clearly evil. It is a laugh, barely identifiable, horrid and haunting. It causes the hair on Buzz's neck to stand up, and for a moment he truly wonders what they're up against, and if they could win it at all.

Jessie's eyes narrow in rage, and it's clear she understand their situation. Buzz doesn't. This irritates him.

"Jessie," He says, pulling at her. She doesn't budge. "_Jessie_."

"No, Buzz." Her eyes are fixed on an oncoming storm of swirling blackness, no doubt used to cause confusion to the opposing side. Which is, in this case, them. "No. I'm not going anywhere. I've waited too long for this."

Buzz still doesn't understand, but doesn't stop pulling at her. Woody makes his way over to her, jerkily, because of the cold. He rests a hand on her shoulder and kneels to her level. Jessie turns her head to him.

"It's him, Woody." She murmurs quietly, grasping his hand with frigid fingers.

"I know, Jess. I know."

Woody kneels by her side, comforting her in a way she hadn't allowed Buzz to. Despite the danger looming, he can't help but feel slightly annoyed. He removes his hand from her arm. Both cousins are staring into the blackness, with almost identical expressions of rage, hatred, and fear. They suddenly look very much alike.

The darkness looms closer, seemingly more agitated and angry. Bo moves behind Woody, in a clear position of self-defense. Her eyes are very cold and clear.

And then, just as soon as the whole ordeal happened, it stops.

It doesn't go away, exactly, but merely stops in its tracks, as though it hit some invisible barrier. Buzz tenses, ready to use every ounce of his Academy training to his advantage.

Jessie's eyes roam the area. She completely recognizes this tactical plan.

A shadow forms in the already solid black in front of them. Jessie grips Woody's hand harder. A soft, friendly chuckling emerges from the curtain of smoke. Buzz's eyes narrow.

"Well, well. My sweet grandchildren. Look at how you've grown."

The dark mist clears a few yards ahead, and Stinky Pete steps forward. He looks no different than the last time Jessie or Woody saw him, minus his lavish clothing. The fat little man is clothed in golden garments that shine despite the lack of light. He wears golden trousers, a waistcoat, and a sweeping long coat that reaches to the ground.

"Oh, no, that's right. As I last recall, you two haven't aged in near twenty years."

Peter's eyes are calm and fond. Jessie's knuckles are completely white on Woody's. Her face hasn't changed expression. Bo crouches to Woody's level and puts both hands on his shoulders and whispers in his ear. Woody's expression doesn't change, either.

Stinky Pete's tiny eyes travel across the foursome, taking in every emotion and stance. He seems amused.

"Now, who do we have here? A Space Ranger, is it? One of _them_? And who is this delicate flower?" He eyes Bo in a way that is both disgusting and unwarranted. Woody grits his teeth.

"Well, my children? Will you speak to me?" Pete gazes at them expectantly.

Jessie is the first one to move. She slowly loosens her grip on Woody's hand, which he doesn't even seem to notice. She rises, very slowly, carefully. Buzz moves forward and touches her shoulder protectively. He reasons with himself that he doesn't want her vulnerable to attack, conveniently ignoring the fact that she can completely take care of herself. Jessie doesn't shudder from his touch, but merely places one hand over his for a brief moment. She steps forward.

"Grandfather."

Pete opens his large arms wide, invitingly. Jessie's expression is blank, but she moves towards him. When she's close enough, Pete envelops her in a warm hug. Jessie can no longer hide her emotions, and her eyes screw shut against her grandfather's chest. Her face is full of love, and terror, and longing. She tries desperately not to cry.

Stinky Pete rubs his granddaughter's back with the caresses of a loving parent. He seems to hold no hostility. Buzz wonders how good of an actor he really is. So far, he's been phenomenal.

Pete lets Jessie go, and holds her at an arm's length. He studies her face.

"My sweet little Jessie, so young, so full of life. Why did you ever abandon me?"

Jessie lowers her tear-filled eyes. "I didn't."

"No?" Stinky Pete's eyes travel to Woody. "Woodrow. My stubborn grandson. And how may you be?"

Woody rises as well.

"Same as always, Peter, thanks to you. Now may you return Jessie to me, please?" His voice is hard.

Pete chuckles. "Now, Jessica will leave when she wishes to. She is perfectly capable of making her own decisions. That's one thing you never understood about her, Woody."

"I know it better than you."

Stinky Pete loses interest in the direction of that particular conversation. His eyes are instead directed to Bo.

"And this sweet young blossom; who is _this_?" Woody strides to Bo, quick as lightening. He wraps an arm around her waist protectively and glares at Stinky Pete.

"Never you mind."

"Oh! Well, what is this!" The squat man's eyebrows lift up, noting the golden bands on both of their left hands. "Married, I see! Now, really, Woodrow, I expected at least a notification. Not even telling your elderly grandfather!"

"You're twenty years older then you're supposed to be," Woody hisses, "Elderly, my ass. You left _us_ and act as though it's our fault. I want to protect my wife from you. She deserves better then you ever gave us. And I _won't_ let you hurt her."

"We'll see," Pete says lightly. Jessie backs up from Peter and allows Buzz to pull her against him protectively. Footsteps echo behind Stinky Pete and a smaller figure appears in the mist. Her violet hair and black eyes give her the appearance of a celestial being. She smiles slightly at the scene before her.

"Well. Well well well well well." She clicks her tongue.

"Bazooka Jane. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Jessie stiffly nods in the direction of the creature. "Dolly."

Dolly's eyes take in the four before her. She smiles widely, revealing sharp teeth.

"I did not see this coming. Most odd. Peter—gather the soldiers. The combatants will emerge from the strange shelter in five minutes. We must be ready."

Peter nods and disappears as suddenly as he appeared in the mist. Dolly returns her attention to the Outlaws and their counterparts.

"I would take cover, if I were you." Her eyes rest on Jessie, and her wide smile widens further to a frightening degree. "You might…need it."

She turns swiftly, back in the direction from which she came. All that surrounds them is the never-ending darkness and the fear of what is to come.


	12. Plans

Hey, look! I wrote something! :D

WARNING: This chapter is very very very very very *gasp* very very very PG-13. There is strong language and graphic violence. I was feeling intense. :P

So, yeah. NO HATIN'. :)

* * *

"Move." Buzz says briskly. "Now."

He leads Jessie and the other two back towards the ship, but they don't go inside. He veers them off to the left. Jessie looks at him questioningly.

"We can't go back," Buzz explains, "They'll just try to imprison you. I'll leave the Commander to the troops. But we need to get out of the line of fire."

Woody glances darkly at the way they came and grips Bo more tightly. Buzz ducks down and runs, similar to the way he did during their last escape attempt, before they ran into the enemy. He pulls Jessie along with him, gripping her hand tightly. Jessie wonders how he knows where he's going. She asks him this.

"Do you see those boulders up ahead? The Rangers used to train back there, in case of attack. No one will disturb it now; they'll be a bit preoccupied."

Jessie nods, and the four of them run to the safety of the boulders. Jessie hops over one and Buzz neatly flips over the tallest one, rolling into a somersault and ending in a defensive position. Wood tries to jump and trips halfway over the rock. Bo gracefully slides between two of them.

"Okay," Buzz says, clearly in Ranger mode now, "We've got about three minutes before the troops come out. Bo, what do you know about this Dolly character?"

"She's a witch," Bo answers smoothly, "She casts spells, including the one that Pete requested twenty years ago. She's inhuman and dangerous."

Buzz goes straight to the point. "Do you think you can take care of her?"

"Of course," Bo responds, soundly slightly wounded at the possibility that he might've doubted her skill.

"No."

Bo turns to Woody.

"No. No way. I am not going to let you do that."

"Woody—"

"No, Bo. I will _not_ allow you to be put in danger like that."

"I can take care of myself."

"Not against her, you can't."

"Of course I can."

"No, you can't. You're staying here."

"What—!"

Jessie cuts in. "Woody—"

"No, Jess. She needs to be safe."

"If you prevent her from doing this, she _won't_ be safe! Woody—listen, Woody! She is your wife, I understand. Stop that; listen! She is an adult. She is strong and brave and capable. And it's an insult to her to not let her contribute in any way she can. She can do this, and make it safely back home. You know she can. You know she can do this. Woody—" Jessie lowers her voice. "I know you're worried. I understand. But she'll make it through. I promise."

Woody looks to be on the verge of protesting once again, but instead nods and gathers Bo into his arms. He holds her close to him for a moment. Both of them shut their eyes.

"I love you," Woody whispers into her hair.

"I love you, Woody," Bo responds. They share a very passionate kiss, and Jessie finds it difficult to look in their direction. It feels too private to view. She catches Buzz's eye, but cannot read what is written there.

Woody kisses Bo's temple. "Come back to me."

"Of course I will." She kisses him once more, and vanishes into the night.

Buzz clears his throat awkwardly.

"Um…Woody, you need to find Stinky Pete. Distract him, and if you can, kill him." Woody flinches. "Sorry. Just distract him, then. We need him out of the way. Can you do that?"

Woody glances at Buzz in disgust. "I'm Woody fucking Pride, chief and prime Outlaw of New Mexico for the past twenty years, and far more brave then your puny ass. Of course I can fucking do it, you idiot."

Buzz blinks.

"Uh…okay then."

"Jessie—" Woody addresses her. He pauses for a moment. "Stay safe."

She nods. "I will."

Woody wraps her up in a hug, and he, too, is gone.

Buzz and Jessie look at each other. The troops are starting to pour out from the ship.

"I need to find Bullseye," Jessie says quietly. "He's our fastest transportation and defense. With any luck, he heard my call earlier. I need to find him."

Buzz nods at her. Neither of them says anything.

And suddenly they're kissing, and neither of them can tell who initiated it, but it doesn't matter, because all they can feel and see and taste is each other. Buzz kisses her fiercely, wrapping his arms firmly around her, one hand on her waist and the other in her fiery hair. The kisses are hard, bruising, desperate, each one saying _stay safe_ and _I'm sorry_ and_ I better see you later, or else_. The kiss becomes deeper as their mouths open to each other, and _oh_, he fills her every sense, to the point where she never wants to leave his embrace. It seems never-ending and yet it is far too short. Buzz pulls away from her. They're both heaving.

"I need to go," She says quietly, still wrapped up in him. But she doesn't want to leave just yet and he doesn't want to let her go just yet. He buries his head in her neck.

There is silence for a few moments.

"I'm going to the source of all of this," Buzz says into her neck, breathing her in like a lifeline, "If Zurg is behind this, I'm going to find him and kill him. If it's not him, I'm going to find the person behind this and kill them."

He lifts his head and meets her eyes.

"This has to end today, Jessie. It needs to end today."

She nods, and points to the thickest part of darkness.

"The enemy's always in the darkest of the mist. It's sort of a means of protection. They'll be hidden in there. Find the darkest part, and you'll find the enemy. Woody and Bo already know this."

Buzz nods, and squints into the distance. He sees nothing and sighs.

"I want you safe, all right?" He's turned back to her now. "No radical sacrifices beyond reason. You're strong, but you're reckless. And I don't want you lost."

She raises an eyebrow at him. Her lips are twitching; she's humoring him. Buzz's brow furrows.

"I'm serious."

"I know you are. And it's sweet." She kisses his forehead. "But I'll be fine. You should worry about yourself." She says the last sentence lightly, but both of them can hear her worried undertone. Buzz places one hand on either side of her jaw.

"How about this," He says quietly, holding her gaze, "We both promise to fight this thing and not do anything stupid. If we do, we have permission to slowly kill each other. Sound good?" His lips quirk up. Jessie smiles.

"Deal," She murmurs. Buzz captures her lips in a soft, sweet kiss. Before he opens his eyes, she's gone. Buzz is thoroughly puzzled. He's got to ask them how they manage to move so fast.

* * *

Jessie's grinning when she leaves him, mostly because he's so overly worried about her. She knows he shouldn't worry so much—she's lived a very long time without him. She's an Outlaw, clever and skilled, not needing to be worried about or fussed upon. The amount of men she's killed is testament to that fact.

The darkness is denser then normal, but it's hardly a problem for her. It shouldn't be a problem for Bullseye, either. She briefly wonders how the others are doing on their perspective quests.

The light sound of shuffling breaks her from her thoughts. She fingers her pistol, which she managed to steal back from the stupid ship's security. Unfortunately, only one bullet—she wasn't able to grab more. She reflects that this could cause a problem. If only she'd remembered to ask Bo…

Another sound, closer this time, startles the silence. Jessie whips out her pistol from underneath her wool coat, which belonged to some gentleman in Tatum back in 1863. She prepares herself to shoot, and rounds the corner of a rotting building.

Dolly's grinning at her, displaying sharp, pointed teeth and endlessly evil onyx eyes. Jessie hears a groan, and her attention is averted. There is a form on the ground, strangely human-shaped, and it is slender and unmoving. Jessie's already racing heart picks up. She tries to swallow the forming lump in her throat. Outlaws stay in control of their emotions.

Jessie glances back to Dolly, whose smile has taken up the majority of her face. Her incisors sparkle with nearly no light around. It is a terrifying sight.

"What did you do to her?" Jessie demands in a menacing whisper, raising her gun. Dolly merely cocks an eyebrow.

"Nothing at all," She replies innocently, and Jessie's mildly surprised that anything at all can seem innocent about Dolly.

"You cursed her, didn't you?"

"Well…not _necessarily_." Dolly's eyes are more frigid than the air.

"I know more then you think I do." Jessie spits, "I know that the spell a witch casts dies as soon as she herself is dead."

"Perhaps," Dolly responds nonchalantly, "But who's to say the _effects_ from the spell won't last? Certainly, the spell will be gone, but the lasting effects won't be. Those are physical, not magical. And only the caster can reverse that."

"I'll find another witch."

"Every witch's spells are unique, as she is. Kill me and you won't be able to fix her."

Jessie fumes. She marches up to Dolly and presses the pistol beneath her jaw.

"Reverse it!" Jessie shouts.

Dolly merely glances at her, boredly.

"I don't fear you or what you could do to me. Besides, what I've already done to you will certainly be enough to convince you to change your mind."

"What're you—"

And then she can no longer speak.

She vaguely realizes what's happening to her, but it doesn't help her cope any more then not knowing would've.

A tingling begins at her fingertips, and then she feels it at the tips of her toes. The tingling travels up her limbs, as though all of them fell asleep at once. And then her head explodes with pain.

It is worse than any headache she's ever experienced, any concussion, and injury. The pain begins to travel, down from her head to join the unpleasant tingling, and the two together explode into a sensation that is overwhelming and agonizing.

Every inch of her skin is being pierced with invisible knives, her skin is splitting, her bones burn with unseen fire. She hears screaming, far off in her mind, and her throat burns.

All thoughts flee her tortured brain as she thrashes on the ground, slowly dying and feeling every moment of it. Every nerve in her body is charring, the knives are slicing her skin, and it feels as though the acid she often used to disfigure dead bodies is being poured onto her, sizzling through her muscles and eating away her flesh. She cannot think, but only for a moment, wishing that unconsciousness would come, or death, anything to make her Hell go away.

But it does not subside, it does not lessen, and the agony only refines her mind's ability to process pain. This is worse then being shot twice in the arm, worse then the third degree burns she got in Hermosillo, worse then being beaten and tortured by her grandfather. No longer can she think or even see, and she only distantly registers yelling and struggling and the sudden absence of everything before she is finally granted peace.


	13. Revelations

GAH I'M SORRY! Please don't hurt me! *dodges bricks*

Yeah, so, enjoy. ^.^;;

* * *

It would've been easier for him to escape if he didn't have that glow-in-the-dark suit feature, he reflects.

Because, really—with all the official and dangerous work Space Rangers do—wouldn't it be more reasonable to blend in a bit more?

Because as soon as he leapt from the rocks, he was attacked—by a charming troupe of five of those dumb monkeys. Killing all of them had been easy enough, but still—it was a lot of time he still feels was unnecessarily wasted.

Now it's about ten minutes later, and Buzz is pretty sure he's been traveling in circles for the past five minutes. The mist is just as dark, he sees just as much (which, counting his glowing suit, still amounts to zero) and a cut on his leg from the fangs of one of those creations is bleeding quite heavily. His laser doesn't help, Star Command's systems are down on this planet, and he can't stop worrying about Jessie.

So much for the greatest Captain the Galactic Alliance has seen in the last fifty years.

He sighs, becoming frustrated with his lack of progress. He continues to walk forward and promptly crashes into a stretch of rock that is a least taller then he is. At least his head wasn't injured. His helmet was up, as it had been ever since those blasted minions decided he would be rather tasty. He rubs an aching arm and suddenly hears a shriek.

A bloodcurdling, horrifying, high-pitched and agonized scream.

His heart stops. He can't breathe, or see anything, and all his brain is processing is the tortured noises coming from his left. Because he knows who it is. Even if he's never heard her scream like that (and oh _God_ never let her scream like this ever again, _I swear_…) he _knows_.

Jessie.

He feels almost like he's flying, because he's moving so fast. He's never moved this fast in his life, all thirty-three years of it, because nothing has ever mattered as much as reaching his Jessie _now_.

He trips and doesn't notice, only get back up and run faster then before. His pain is nothing. Hers is the world.

It seems like forever stretching out in front of him, and he's taking so long, too long, and it's got to be getting too late, who can scream for that long and survive? And suddenly the infinite blackness covering his eyes lessens slightly and he sees it, he sees her, and she's not okay, _NO!_

Her screams are raw and desperate, and she's thrashing on the ground and dying, he can see it. She's covered in scarlet blood, and it's dripping and pooling beneath her tiny body, and he realizes with a sickening jolt that it's all _hers_, it's her blood that leaks from thousands of deep grazes in her skin, and her skin's not porcelain but nearly all ruby red and glistening.

He only processes this for a moment, and then he lunges at _her_, the evil witch who did this to her. He doesn't care if he dies trying because _he's going to kill her_. He's never killed a woman, never, and he once swore to himself he never would. But she's not a woman. She's a monster. The monster that's killing his girl right in front of him.

He lunges for her but misses, because she's moved and he crashes to the ground. He's up almost immediately, pointing his laser at her, fully prepared to strike and not caring about the consequences. Her evil and inhuman grin nearly makes him press the button without even asking questions.

"Buzz Lightyear," The evil witch simpers, "It took you long enough. I was wondering if you would even show up."

He's gritting his teeth. "Let. Her. GO."

Dolly pretends to consider it. "No, I'm afraid I won't. Peter's been waiting for this opportunity for _such_ a long time now. Shame to let it all go to waste."

"I WILL KILL YOU! I'LL SEND YOU BACK TO THE PITS OF HELL WHERE YOU BELONG!"

Dolly sighs theatrically and snaps her fingers. Jessie's screaming subsides, and she lies still. Buzz moves to go towards her.

"No, Buzz. Unless you want me to start it up again. Besides, I still have you to take care of."

Buzz completely ignores her and barrels towards his girl. And invisible forcefield stops him in his tracks. It sends 1,000 volts of electricity screaming through his body. Buzz manages to stand, wincing.

"You see?" Dolly sighs again, "Now, Mr. Lightyear, over here, please…"

Buzz does not comply. He's so enraged that he doesn't even register the lack of proper title to his name.

"You give her back to me."

"We've been over this," Dolly's looking annoyed now, "No. She's going to die anyway. Peter's already taken care of Woodrow. The tiny blonde one was certainly easy enough to dispose of. The only problem is you."

Buzz knows not to listen to minions of Zurg when they sprout stories, but regardless, her words send a shudder through him, which he does not allow her to see. He knows she's probably lying, but it doesn't make her statements less horrid.

"I'm not going to let it get that far."

Dolly's brow wrinkles in confusion at his strange statement, but Buzz's laser gives her no time to react or foresee anything within the next minute. He aims it at her, and precisely hits her heart; the powerful laser dissolves the flesh. He carves a hole in her chest, and her heart is severed, dangling from her rib cage. Dolly falls, having already been dead for a full three seconds, the process being so quick that she didn't have time to scream. Buzz ceases using his laser and kicks the body to roll it onto it's back. He aims it at the body again and cleanly slices the head off in one stroke. Buzz reaches down and tugs the already loose heart from the ribcage. He glares at the corpse and quickly turns checks Bo over.

She's breathing, thankfully, and she is not bloody. Buzz leaves her within fifteen seconds and rushes over to Jessie.

It's horrible. She too, is still breathing, but it's faint and erratic. She's sticky and red, her body raw and broken. Buzz forces himself to do a medical scan quickly, and sees that no bones are broken, but the amount of blood she has is so, so low. Her heart beats, but like her breathing, it is faint and irregular. His own heart hammers.

He gathers her up into his arms, ignoring the blood, and cradles her to his chest. Her eyes flicker open, slowly. Buzz gazes at her, and notices how glassy and unfocused they are. He places on hand on her cheek. She blinks several times.

"Bu—Buzz?"

"No, no, don't," Buzz says gently, "You've lost a lot of blood; you're weak. Save your strength."

Her eyes slide in and out of focus alarmingly. Buzz makes a decision.

"I'm going to have to move you. I'll try my hardest not to hurt you, but I might accidentally. Okay?"

Jessie groans in response. Buzz lifts her, carefully, but despite his attempts, she shrieks when he moves her. His heart clenches, but he continues to do what he knows he must do for her. Even if it causes her pain.

* * *

The first thing he's aware of is a low humming noise. It seems to radiate from everywhere, all around him. Buzz is unaware of how he got to this place—wherever it is—and he notices he doesn't seem to have a body. Just ears, apparently.

Seeing as he seems to lack a body, Buzz has no choice but to float in darkness and listen. The humming is vaguely familiar, but he can't place it. It reminds him of something…

He strains his invisible mind and comes up with nothing. He sighs a nonexistent sigh, and listens more intently. The humming seems to throb more, almost like some sort of engine. Engine? That's odd. Why would there be an engine…

And then it all comes rushing back to him, Jessie, that evil witch that cursed her, her screams, her broken body…

His body returns to him in a flash, and he bolts upright, hardly aware of anything but the thought of her. He realizes he's in the spaceship—hence the engine—and yet, he barely registers this too. Because he sees Jessie, next to him, lying very still in the bed of the hospital room. He doesn't care about why he's there, even though he remembers the cause. Blasted monkey…

He attempts to stand, but pain shoots through his leg, and he curses it. The evil red creature not only sliced through his skin and muscle (straight to the bone, it turned out), but left a tiny, needle-like tooth lodged in the wound, which secreted poison into his body for the who knows how many hours he was out there. The result was an emergency surgery and Buzz's forced sedation. Jessie had been taken from him, and he had been loath to cooperate.

He sits up, unable to stand, and studies her. Her eyes are closed, and her skin is unusually pale. She's breathing at a steady pace, strong and deep, and she's been cleaned of the blood and dirt that covered her. Her hair is down, framing her face, making her look even whiter compared to its fiery color. She looks better in general, but the gashes on her face have yet to fully heal. Buzz wonders about the rest of her.

"Captain Lightyear!"

Buzz jumps at the unexpected voice and looks up. An Alliance doctor is hurrying to him, looking surprised.

"We hadn't expected you awake yet! More resilient than expected! We'll need to check your vitals, of course, but you'll be good as new! Now, the injury…"

Buzz barely registers what he's hearing. He just waits until the doctor is done blabbering to ask his question.

"And how is she?"

The doctor stops. Oh. Apparently he wasn't done.

"Sorry?"

"How is Jessie?" Buzz says rather tensely, gesturing to the bed next to his. The doctor's eyes widen and dart back and forth.

"You care to know about the prisoner?" He asks cautiously. Buzz is losing patience.

"Yes. Regardless of the fact that she is a prisoner, I did risk quite a bit to get her back to safety. I feel it is not unnecessary to ask about her health."

The doctor looks slightly apprehensive. "Very well. She has an extensive amount of damage to the dermis. The gashes will take some time to heal. There's no telling if there will be scarring. She lost a lot of blood, but that has been remedied. She was slightly delirious when she was brought here, and feverish. The reason she is so pale now is because of her body's reaction to the blood transfusion. Her blood is like nothing we've really seen, so we gave her the blood of an Argain humanoid; she responded well enough. A chemical was inserted to keep her body from attacking the new blood, and another was administered to evolve to the blood into her own. That might take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Is that what you wanted to know?"

The doctor looks annoyed. Buzz nods, not taking his eyes from Jessie's face. "Yes, doctor. Thank you."

The man opens his mouth to speak, then decides against it. He tries again. Buzz notices none of this.

"You cannot save her, Captain. She is a prisoner of the Galactic Alliance."

"I'm aware of it," Buzz responds tersely, "Now what can you tell me of the two who were with her? The blonds one, and the cowboy?"

The doctor blinks. "Uh, they're both fine. Healed of their injuries."

"They're at the prison bay, yes?"

The man nods.

"Thank you for all your help, doctor. Now, feel free to check the vitals and so on. I'd like to be out of here as soon as possible."

His vitals are fine, his leg is healing well, and the doctor proclaims with a shot of steroids and Super-Healer (Buzz always thought the name was stupid), he could be out of the bed in approximately sixteen hours. Buzz accepts this, and is left to contemplate. What happened to Stinky Pete? Zurg? What about the curse? And what would happen to Jessie and the others, considering the fact that they were still prisoners?

* * *

ALL (or nearly all) TO BE ANSWERED NEXT CHAPTER, I PROMISE.

I LOVE YOU GUYS.


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